A sliding glass door in combination with a sliding screen door are commonly used to provide access to and from houses and other buildings. They provide greater sunlight and view than a standard swinging door, without the dangers that might be associated with a glass door that swings open. Furthermore, objects may be placed close to the sliding door without need to leave a path for the door to swing open. In the standard arrangement, there are two glass components and a single screen component all contained within a doorframe. Each of the glass components comprises a rectangular frame, typically made of wood, steel, aluminum, or vinyl, which surrounds a glass pane. The screen component comprises a rectangular frame across which a mesh screen is stretched. One of the glass components is stationary and forms a seal at one end of the doorframe, while the other can slide back and forth within the doorframe. The screen also slides back and forth within the doorframe.
This standard arrangement has a fully closed position to prevent access through the doorframe and to prevent natural ventilation across the doorframe. In this fully closed position the sliding glass component is slid to the opposite end of the doorframe from the stationary component. The frames of the glass components form a seal to prevent drafts, water, or insects from crossing the doorframe. When it is desired to have natural ventilation, while still maintaining a barrier to insects, birds, and the like, the sliding glass component is slid within the door frame towards the same end as the stationary component. The screen component is adjusted so that it is slid to the opposite end from the stationary glass component. In this arrangement, ventilation across the screen is allowed, while the screen provides a barrier to insects, small animals, and the like. In order to go in or out of the doorway, the screen must be slid back and forth.
The sliding glass component and the screen are retained in the doorframe by standard trackways. One of the common problems with this standard arrangement is that the screen becomes untracked easily. When this happens it is difficult to move the screen and it is necessary to fix the screen so that it is back in proper engagement with the track. However, getting the screen back into proper engagement with the track can be difficult and frustrating. As a result of its weight and rigidity, the sliding glass component is generally very reliable and rarely becomes untracked.
Another difficulty with standard sliding doorway designs is that the mechanism for locking the doors closed tends to be easily defeated. For this reason, it is common to wedge a broomstick, or other elongated rigid item, between the rear of the sliding glass door and the door frame to prevent the door from being opened. For this reason it would be beneficial to provide a secondary locking mechanism integrated with the door that would reinforce the standard locking mechanism.
In certain instances it would be desirable to change the side of the doorway that is being used for entrance and exit. For this reason it would be advantageous to have a sliding glass door system that is capable of quick conversion between left-hand and right-hand orientation.
The difficulties encountered in the prior art and discussed above are substantially eliminated by the present invention.